Is SPTC playing Russian roulette with people’s lives? |14 January 2021

The public transport company is continuing to put passengers at risk despite the health department telling it to limit the number of passengers in a bus.

In yesterday’s health briefing Seychelles NATION inquired with the Public Health Commissioner, Dr Jude Gedeon, about SPTC’s decision to keep filling their buses to full capacity.

He confirmed that the health department has advised the transportation company that only one passenger can occupy a two-person seat and two passengers on a three seater.

SPTC told us that it hasn’t received any orders from the health department in that regard. However, we have learned that the company wanted to go back to full capacity and start making passengers stand when all seats would be full, but the health department denied their request.

All this poses a problem as we have been advised numerous times to practice social distancing when we are in a public place but how can we do that when we are forced to sit like sardines in a can?

Covid-19 can spread easily through touch which put passengers at risk when no social distancing is observed.

So the decision ultimately falls with SPTC. Will it limit the number of passengers in their buses or will it keep putting people’s lives at risk for the sake of making profits?

Christophe Zialor